Ahab covets Naboth’s vineyard
21
📚And this occurred after these things: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. 21:1 The capital of the northern kingdom was the city of Samaria, but Ahab also maintained a residence at Jezreel, about forty kilometers from Samaria.⚜
2 📚And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Let me have your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. And for it I will give you a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money”.
3 📚And Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you”.
Jezebel’s way of getting the vineyard
4 📚And Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him, because he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers”. And he lay down on his bed and turned his face away, and would not eat 📖 food.
21:4 By coveting Naboth’s vineyard Ahab was breaking one of the most important of God’s commandments – Ex 20:17. His coveting led on to murder. Compare Jam 4:1-2. On coveting see Ps 119:36; Isa 57:17; Jer 6:13; Mark 7:22-23; Luke 12:15; Rom 1:29; Eph 5:3; Col 3:5; 1 Thess 2:5; 1 Tim 6:6-7; Heb 13:5; 2 Pet 2:3.⚜
5 📚But his wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sad that you aren’t eating any food?”
6 📚And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money. Or, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it’. And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ”
Elijah gives God’s message to Ahab
7 📚And his wife Jezebel 📖 said to him, “Do you now rule over Israel? Get up and eat food, and let your heart be merry. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite”.
8 📚So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. 9 📚And she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast 📖, and set Naboth at the front of the people, 10 📚And set two men, scoundrels 📖, before him, to testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ And then take him out and stone him, so that he dies 📖”.
11 📚And the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who were residents of his city, did as Jezebel had sent orders to them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them. 12 📚They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth at the front of the people. 13 📚And two men came in, scoundrels, and sat in front of him, and the scoundrels testified against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king”. Then they took him out of the city, and pelted him with stones; and he died. 14 📚Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned, and is dead”.
15 📚And it came about, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead”. 16 📚And this happened when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead: Ahab got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 📚And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 📚“Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who is in Samaria. See, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to possess it. 19 📚And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, Have you killed, and also taken possession?’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth dogs will lick your blood, even yours.’ ”
21:19 Ahab did not kill Naboth with his own hand, but he was, nevertheless, guilty of murder. Compare 2 Sam 12:9. If we go along with what others do we share their guilt.⚜
20 📚And Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy 📖?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself 📖 to do evil in the sight of the LORD. 21 📚Look, I will bring disaster on you, and will sweep away your descendants, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both slave and free in Israel, 22 📚and will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and caused Israel to sin.
21:21-22 1 Kings 14:10-11; 1 Kings 16:3-4. None of these kings learned proper lessons from the history of their predecessors.⚜
23 📚“And the LORD has spoken about Jezebel also, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. 24 📚The one belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of the air will eat.’ ”
25 📚But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to commit wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom his wife Jezebel stirred up.
26 📚And he acted very abominably in following idols, in all things just like the Amorites 📖 did, whom the LORD drove out before the children of Israel.
27 📚And it came about, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his body and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and walked around slowly.
21:27 Ahab displayed the outward signs of mourning and repentance.⚜
28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 📚“Do you see how Ahab is humbling himself before me? Because he is humbling himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days, but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster on his house”.
21:29 Ahab’s repentance was shallow, as can be seen from events which follow, yet God took notice of it. He is a God of great grace, and would much rather show mercy than punish (Ex 34:6-7; Ps 86:15; Isa 30:18; 55:7; Ezek 18:31-32). In this case He delayed the punishment but could not, in justice, cancel it.⚜